Linux Group Files Complaint Against Microsoft’s Secure Boot

Linux being unhappy about Microsoft’s “Secure Boot” on Windows 8 is no longer a surprise. However, a group in Spain—called Hispalinux—decided to do more than just trying to work it around.

Last Tuesday, the group filed a complaint at the European Commission in Madrid, calling the Windows security feature an “obstruction mechanism.”

Creating Linux Workarounds on Windows 8 Secure Boot

First discovered in late 2011, the Secure Boot issue arises from the fact that Windows 8 hardware has the security feature enabled in Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. This means that operating systems with appropriate digital signature can boot.

Due to this, Linux Foundation and Linux distributors made an effort to create workarounds to allow the open-source OS to boot on Windows 8 hardware. Meanwhile, Fedora’s solution is to get its first stage boot loader signed with Microsoft. This move caused considerable controversy among Linux users.

Microsoft, on the other hand, pointed out that the Secure Boot technology was implemented to improve security on Windows 8.

The latest complaint filed by Hispalinux, which represents about 8,000 users and developers in Spain, brings in another probe against Microsoft. The group reiterates that the Security Boot is an anti-competitive practice, which places a “technical barrier” to consumers. In addition, this featured caused “irreparable damage” to the European software industry.